Noel rode the pine for eight straight games prior to this stretch. He returned to the lineup Apr. 23 against a lefty — the only lefty that the Guardians have faced since Apr. 13 — and now has started four of six games against righties at the expense of Nolan Jones and Angel Martínez. The Guardians still don’t entirely trust Noel; they prioritized contact and had Martínez pinch-hit for him in the 11th inning today, leading to a game-winning single. Noel has gone 4-for-20 with two homers and eight strikeouts during the stretch of starts, so he’s not really guaranteed much of anything yet.

Noel entered the day with a .167/.200/.190 line in 45 plate appearances, which is why he’s only been playing a lefties. The Guardians could give him time over the struggling Carlos Santana if they want to get him going, but we’re not optimistic it will happen. The club isn’t slated to face any lefties for at least a week, so it could be right back to the bench for Noel.

Noel, still looking for his first homer of the year, was on the bench in eight straight contests versus righties before getting the nod against a lefty with Nolan Jones and Kyle Manzardo sitting today. Given that he’s still just 23 years old, it seems like the Guardians will soon need to play him more in the majors or send him down to start regularly in Triple-A.

With left-hander Cole Ragans on the mound, it will be Noel in the starting lineup and Nolan Jones on the bench. This is how we expected the platoon to work, but now we’re getting confirmation of it. Expect to see Jones in the starting lineup tomorrow.